Sarvesh Shashi
Indian yoga practitioner & Author
Sarvesh Shashi, known as “Modern Yogi”, is an Indian yoga practitioner and author. He is the founder of “SARVA”, a Yoga studio chain and Health platform in India. He was introduced to yoga by his parents at age six, Sarvesh later attended Loyola College in Chennai before leaving to join the family business. He was in the Tamil Nadu junior cricket team. Sarvesh later served as a net bowler for Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011 and for Rajasthan Royals in 2012 & 2013 during the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Sarvesh Shashi is less a guru and more a brand architect. Draped in athleisure rather than saffron, he speaks the language of breath and balance, but also of scale, capital, and consumer behavior. In a country where yoga is both ancient practice and global export, his rise captures a shift, from discipline to lifestyle, from ashram to app. As the founder of SARVA, Shashi has attempted to repackage yoga for a generation that prefers subscriptions to scriptures. It is an outstanding moment to examine what that transformation means, and what it risks losing.
Key Facts
Full Name: Sarvesh Shashi
Date of Birth: 15 April 1992
Place of Birth: Thrissur, Kerala, India (raised in Chennai)
Title / Identity: Entrepreneur, Yoga Practitioner, Author
Occupation: Founder, CEO, Wellness Entrepreneur
Known As: “Modern Yogi”
Roots and Early Discipline
Sarvesh Shashi’s story begins in Thrissur, but it is in Chennai that his identity takes shape. Raised in a business-oriented family, he was exposed early to the mechanics of enterprise, operations, risk, and scale. Unlike founders who discover business late, Shashi grew up around it.
At the same time, another discipline entered his life early, yoga. Introduced to the practice at the age of six, it was less a philosophical pursuit and more a routine, one that coexisted with school, sport, and social life.
Cricket, in fact, offered a parallel trajectory. Shashi played at the junior level for Tamil Nadu and reportedly trained as a net bowler for IPL teams. The discipline of sport, repetition, resilience, performance under scrutiny, mirrored, in many ways, the discipline of yoga.
Yet neither path, cricket nor conventional corporate work, would define his long-term direction.
The Pivot: From Cricket and Corporate to Conscious Living
The decision to step away from a predictable trajectory came early. At 23, Shashi founded Zorba in 2013, positioning it as a yoga and wellness platform for urban India.
The timing was significant. India’s wellness economy was beginning to shift, driven by rising disposable incomes, urban stress, and global exposure to fitness trends. Yoga, once seen as either spiritual practice or traditional therapy, was being reframed as lifestyle.
Zorba’s early years were not defined by scale but by positioning. The challenge was not just building a product, but changing perception, convincing a young, urban audience that yoga could be aspirational, not austere.
Studios, branding, and messaging were designed accordingly. Clean spaces replaced temple-like environments. Language shifted from Sanskrit-heavy instruction to accessible, English-driven communication.
Scaling Yoga: Zorba to SARVA
The transition from Zorba to SARVA in 2018 marked a strategic shift. The rebranding aligned with a broader ambition, to build not just a chain of studios but a scalable wellness platform.
A key inflection point came through partnership with Talwalkars, which provided both capital and infrastructure. This collaboration enabled faster expansion across cities, integrating yoga into a broader fitness ecosystem.
SARVA’s model combines physical studios, digital content, and wellness products. It positions itself at the intersection of premium fitness and holistic well-being.
Expansion beyond India, including markets like the UAE and the United States, reflects an attempt to globalize the brand. However, precise metrics, such as studio count or revenue, vary across reports and are not always consistently disclosed.
What is clear is the ambition, to position SARVA as a global yoga brand originating from India.
Celebrity Capital and Global Ambition
In the world of consumer startups, capital is not just financial, it is also symbolic. SARVA’s ability to attract investment from figures like Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez added visibility beyond traditional business circles.
Celebrity backing serves multiple functions. It signals credibility, amplifies brand recognition, and opens doors to new markets. For a wellness brand, it also aligns with aspirational lifestyles.
But it raises questions as well. Does celebrity endorsement enhance authenticity, or dilute it? In yoga, where lineage and tradition carry weight, the integration of celebrity culture creates a new kind of narrative, one driven by visibility rather than heritage.
Diva Yoga and Gendered Wellness Spaces
Shashi’s collaboration with Malaika Arora to launch Diva Yoga reflects another dimension of the wellness market, segmentation.
Diva Yoga focuses on women-centric wellness, combining yoga with lifestyle and community. The concept taps into a growing demand for spaces that are both physically and socially tailored.
Such ventures highlight how yoga is being reinterpreted, not just as practice, but as experience. The emphasis shifts from discipline to environment, from routine to identity.
Recognition and Cultural Positioning
Shashi’s inclusion in lists such as Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, Fortune India 40 Under 40, and GQ’s Most Influential Young Indians signals his positioning within a new class of entrepreneurs.
These recognitions are not merely accolades; they reflect the broader narrative of India’s wellness economy becoming investable, scalable, and globally relevant.
They also underscore a shift in what constitutes entrepreneurship. Building a yoga brand is no longer seen as niche, it is part of a larger conversation about health, lifestyle, and consumer culture.
Philosophy and Practice
Central to Shashi’s identity is the idea of the “modern yogi.” This concept attempts to bridge ancient practice with contemporary life.
In his framing, yoga is not confined to mats or meditation halls. It extends into daily routines, digital platforms, and even corporate culture.
Yet this interpretation is not without critique. Purists argue that commercialization risks diluting the philosophical depth of yoga. The transformation of practice into product raises questions about authenticity.
Shashi’s approach reflects a pragmatic stance, adaptation is necessary for survival. Whether that adaptation preserves or alters the essence of yoga remains a matter of debate.
Author and Thought Leader
In 2024, Shashi published How To Fall In Love with Yoga: Move. Breathe. Connect. The book positions yoga as accessible and personal, focusing on integration rather than instruction.
Its audience is clearly urban and global, individuals seeking wellness within busy lives. The emphasis is on entry, not mastery.
This aligns with his broader strategy, lowering barriers to participation. But it also reflects a shift in how yoga is consumed, less as discipline, more as lifestyle.
Beyond Yoga: ABCStudios and New-Age Branding
Shashi’s ventures extend beyond yoga into content and talent management through ABCStudios. This move reflects an understanding that wellness is not just practiced, it is performed and shared.
Content, particularly digital content, plays a critical role in scaling lifestyle brands. By entering this space, Shashi is attempting to control narrative as well as product.
The focus on South Indian markets within this venture suggests an effort to tap into regional cultural ecosystems while maintaining a global outlook.
The Larger Question: What Does Sarvesh Shashi Represent?
At its core, Sarvesh Shashi’s journey is less about yoga and more about transformation, of tradition into product, of practice into platform.
He represents a generation of entrepreneurs who see culture as scalable. Yoga, in this framework, is not just heritage, it is intellectual property, brand, and experience.
India’s wellness economy is projected to grow significantly, driven by both domestic demand and global interest. Within this landscape, SARVA occupies a particular niche, premium, urban, aspirational.
But the question remains, is this a movement or a market? The answer likely lies somewhere in between.
The Shape of Modern Wellness
Sarvesh Shashi’s story is still unfolding. It sits at the intersection of commerce and culture, where ancient practices are being reinterpreted for modern audiences.
There is ambition in this model, but also tension. The more yoga becomes a product, the more it risks losing the context that gave it meaning.
Yet adaptation is inevitable. Every tradition evolves, shaped by the needs and desires of its time.
In navigating that evolution, Shashi has positioned himself not just as an entrepreneur, but as a translator, between past and present, between discipline and desire. Whether that translation holds over time will determine the durability of his vision.
For now, his journey captures a moment in India’s wellness story that is both commercially significant and culturally complex, and in that sense, undeniably outstanding.
Awards and recognition
2020 – 30 Under 30 Asia for Healthcare & Science by Forbes
2019 – 40 Under 40 by Fortune
2019 – GQ India Most Influential Young Indians
2019 – Youngest CEO in the Health and Wellness Sector by Bloomberg
2020 – 30 Under 30 Entrepreneur India
2021 – 30 Under 30 Businessworld
